From helping to write or proofread essays, analysing papers or application letters to giving relationship advice, AI has quickly made its way into virtually every aspect of our lives – at work, at university and at home. How is this changing the way we behave? “The research field is exploding right now”, says Roman Briker, a Moldovan-German assistant professor at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) with a background in psychology. “Most researchers focus on how people use AI in their own work or personal lives. I’m more interested in its effect on groups – how it affects social interactions. We still don’t know much about that.”
An often overlooked aspect, Briker says by way of example, is the influence your colleagues have on your attitude towards using AI tools like ChatGPT in your work. “We see that if a colleague trusts using AI, you’re more likely to trust it too, especially if it’s a colleague you find nice, smart or helpful. But this effect is weaker, or even absent, if you don’t like the person. In other words, our attitude isn’t just shaped by how well AI works, but also by the social context.”
Roman Briker
Another of Briker’s research questions is what happens to workplace hierarchies and dynamics if your boss is an AI. “So, a computer that gives instructions, evaluates performance and provides feedback. Or one step further: a computer that decides who gets hired or fired, or how much you’re paid.” This may sound futuristic or even dystopian, admits Briker, “but we need to start studying these applications now. You have to try to anticipate where things are heading, or you’ll always be one step behind. Researchers are always a step behind anyway – it can take years to go from starting a study to publishing its results – but the lag is especially pronounced in this field, which is developing at breakneck speed.”
Developing a bond
AI is already displaying abilities researchers thought impossible ten years ago, says Briker. “Take creativity. AI models can now write poems and stories that people judge as more original than human work in blind tests.” Another rapidly growing application is AI as a therapist: apps or robots that keep people company through conversation, or provide support and advice on issues like relationships. “That’s actually the most widely used application at the moment. And developers are making these systems increasingly human-like – robots that move naturally, or computer voices that pause, laugh and interrupt you.”
People are beginning to view AI less as a machine and more as a colleague, friend, coach or leader, observes Briker. “And we’re accepting these new roles. More and more people genuinely collaborate with AI and develop relationships with it. That’s a big difference from older technologies. You don’t bond with your Firefox browser.”
Fear
This makes the idea of an AI boss less far-fetched. “There are already companies publicly claiming to be run by AI, though they are exceptions.” Much more common is what Briker calls “shadow AI”: companies using AI for specific purposes, like screening application letters or other HR tasks, but keeping it under wraps. “They fear backlash. People often believe that they themselves use AI the right way, but we tend to believe that others who use it are lazy or overlook AI mistakes.”
The same is true in the workplace. “At least half of all employees keep quiet about using AI in their work or even lie to colleagues about it. Maybe they fear for their jobs, worried their boss might decide a computer could do their work instead.”
More productive
But that isn’t necessarily the case, says Briker. “Ultimately, I see AI as a powerful, augmenting tool that we can work with, not something that replaces us. It can give you new ideas, act as a sparring partner, and take over tedious tasks. Research has repeatedly shown that people who use AI this way are far more productive.”
That’s why Briker believes companies should introduce clearer AI guidelines for their employees. “People need to know what their managers find acceptable and what’s legally permitted. They’re often unsure about that. I’m in favour of more openness. Let employees experiment. The genie is out of the bottle anyway – otherwise, they’ll just use AI in secret.”
Importantly, this would also help people learn how not to use it. “AI isn’t always 100 per cent accurate, and it can be biased, which is how you end up with discriminatory hiring algorithms. But if you use it wisely and carefully, AI can be far more objective than a biased, racist or sexist human boss.”